Man posing as police officer

Department warns drivers of imposter

Posted: Saturday, November 17, 2007

Dan Packarddan.packard@amarillo.com

He looks like a cop, walks like a cop and talks like a cop. So he must be a cop, right?

Sgt. Randy TenBrink of the Amarillo Police Department's Crime Prevention Unit warns residents that because APD and other area law-enforcement officers use unmarked cars, motorists should be aware of the proper method to stop for an unmarked police car.

Pull into a lighted or populated area and wait to be approached.

Do not leave the safety of the vehicle.

Open the window only enough to ask the officer for proper identification.

Do not accept a badge as identification. Texas law requires officers to carry professional ID that includes a name and picture of the officer, the issuing agency and a 24-hour phone number that can be called to verify the officer's employment.

A cheap, laminated identification card should not be accepted at face value.

To report a suspicious stop, call the Amarillo Police Department at (806) 378-3038.

An Amarillo woman discovered that looks can be deceiving when a man posing as a police officer stopped her car Wednesday near Ninth Avenue and Coulter Street.

According to the APD, the man drove a Ford Crown Victoria that had red and blue flashing lights, but the woman did not hear a siren.

After the woman stopped, a man who wore black uniform pants, a duty belt and a white polo shirt approached her vehicle. The shirt bore an embroidered police badge and a gold nameplate.

Police are withholding the name on the nameplate because of the pending investigation.

The man asked the woman for her license and registration, questioned her about specific information on her documents and returned to his car.

A few minutes later, he gave the license back to the victim. When he drove away, the woman noticed that his car had no license plates, police reported.

TenBrink said the APD does not have an officer or a car matching the victim's description.

"Our officers do not ask for registration paperwork unless there is a specific need for that information," he said.

Anyone who is stopped by the unmarked car should call the Amarillo Police Department at (806) 378-3038, TenBrink said.

The incident marked the second such occurrence within the last few months.

In July, Amarillo police arrested a 20-year-old man who stopped Amarillo motorists several times using a white Suburban equipped with red emergency lights. He presented himself as a deputy of Forest County, which is not a county in Texas.

He was charged with impersonating a public servant, a third-degree felony.

TenBrink said people impersonate a law officer for various reasons.

"Most of these guys, we find, are after power - the fear factor," TenBrink said. "Policemen have a certain amount of control. It's necessary for what we do. These guys like that control - especially over women. It's a psychological control mechanism.

"Some of them will say, 'I caught you speeding. I saw you run that red light.' Some of them will try to make a date in exchange for leniency. Reports have been made of sexual assaults and other assaults after one of these stops."

Some have another reason, TenBrink said.

"Some people are would-be, wanna-be police officers. They can't cut it. They can't get on as a police officer and they want to pretend like they are. They buy the outfit, the car, the radio. They can look very convincing," he said.